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T3 + stress hormons can restore my normal functions

pattismith

Senior Member
Messages
3,941
Isn't it strange?

I was doing some trials with T3 in April (as I have the low T3 syndrome), and while doing that I went through a very hard time with a huge amount of stress when I learn my husband is suffering from a bad Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

It was a succession of storms in my head and body since then, but I kept experimenting with my trials, because I needed to be strong and functionning in order to support my husband through his battle (I would say our battle!).

I don't have much time to investigate anymore my own health problems, but I noticed that during the hardest times, my T3 intake was working much better.

When the stress is less pregnant, I need to take caffeine with T3, and it doesn't work so well.

This means to me that the huge hormonal changes that come with big stress are able to restore my functions, but I am not fully able to mimic these changes when the stress is over.

I added also prednisolone with some transient improvements, but caffeine was the most helpful to help my T3 to work.

I would be interested to know what you all experienced with stress.( I guess it resulted in a big PEM for most of you all, and I would have experimented it as well if I was not supplemented with my usual helpers T3, corticosteroids, caffeine)
 
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Shoshana

Northern USA
Messages
6,035
Location
Northern USA
Oh my, that is interesting, and I do hope that you can maintain that, @pattismith
Either way, at the least, you have been able to do more, for yourself and for your husband, during the more stressful time. Which is valuable in itself.

SO sorry that you and he have the enormous and sad challenges, but glad that you found a way to maximize the effects of your trial hormones, and to hold yourself up.

For myself, I hit a big wall, during a similar episode, and the PEM crash was extreme, but you have some differing treatments going for yourself, so I hope you do not hit one.
 

Wolfcub

Senior Member
Messages
7,089
Location
SW UK
@pattismith I am really sorry to hear about your husband's illness. My best wishes to him for his recovery. And for you, and hope you will feel better more and more as time goes by.

The "adrenaline rush" effect on you is very interesting. Obviously "fight or flight" was activated which did help you. I wondered about that some weeks ago so it's very interesting to read your experience (though it would not be the right thing for everyone and I can imagine it causing major crashes with some people.)
 

percyval577

nucleus caudatus et al
Messages
1,302
Location
Ik waak up
Stress can help me too. But it worked only when I am on the whole not too bad, you lucky one.
(Sorry for your husband, life is a strange invention.)
 
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pattismith

Senior Member
Messages
3,941
Thank you all for the nice words for my husband.
The strange thing is that he was clinically normal when his illness was discovered.

Before he started the chemotherapy, he was tested for thyroid parameters, and he has the low T3 syndrome with fT3 and rT3 very similar to mine.

It makes me think a lot, because I wonder if an infectious agent could have produced the same syndrome to both of us.
The second thing I wonder is if the relatively low fT3 he has could have weakened his immune system, leading him to this leukemia. ...

@pattismith I am really sorry to hear about your husband's illness. My best wishes to him for his recovery. And for you, and hope you will feel better more and more as time goes by.

The "adrenaline rush" effect on you is very interesting. Obviously "fight or flight" was activated which did help you. I wondered about that some weeks ago so it's very interesting to read your experience (though it would not be the right thing for everyone and I can imagine it causing major crashes with some people.)

Yes The fight or flight effect helps me.

This is something I have already noticed long ago, 25 years ago when I was a student. I was at my best (brain and physically) during the weeks of exams, where the amount of stress was high. Each year at this time, I was thinking that if I could stay that way all the time, I could achieve great things...(Unfortunately I never reach that state in a stable way and on the contrary I started to crash harder and harder)

I think that my hypothalamus/pituitary/adrenals was already weakened and was only working under pressure.

With time HPT and HPA went worse and worse, and now I am no more than a zombie if I don't take my drugs!

But it's interesting to notice that my HPA axis can still work if I take T3 and if I am under a very big stress....